Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Smooth Criminal?

33w 5d

Last week my mom and I met up at Babies R Us (BRU) so I could take back/exchange some items I received at my showers. What a fun time that was. I had everything contained to one large gift bag that my mom and I wheeled into the store and straight to the returns counter. The cashier watched us walk in with the bag. Keep that in mind.

I had receipts for almost everything, and everything was off of my registry anyways. All of the returns were going smoothly, and the cashier was just putting the amount on a gift card for me until we got to the last 2 items. My mother-in-law had bought me a small blue swaddle blanket (I had already received two) and some blue sheets (the blues in the nursery weren't matching up). She had given me the receipt which listed these two items as well as maybe 10 other items she had given me. Again, everything was from my registry.

Cashier: There is a problem. The computer is showing that all of these items have been returned.Me: Impossible, since I just now returning them and everything else on the receipt is in my nursery at home.Cashier: It is showing the items were bought at one location, then returned at another.Me: Nope.Cashier: Let me call the manager.Manager: Did you return all of these items? Did your mother-in-law?Me: Um, no. All of these items, except for the swaddle blanket and sheets are at home. They were a gift.Manager: We have a new return policy that goes into effect August 8th. To make a return or exchange, you MUST have either a gift receipt, or the items must be from your registry.Me: :blink, blink: Well, I DO have a receipt and these items ARE from my registry. Manager: Can I have your driver's license? I need to go make a call.

What?! Was she calling the cops? What the hell? I am sure she was checking returns against my driver's license, but still. She took it back in to a back office like I was some sort of criminal. Yep, lady make sure you check for warrants. I am sure there are plenty out against me for trying to finagle BRU out of $20 of merchandise that was purchased off of my registry!

While the manager was off calling about my rap sheet, the cashier actually looks up and says, "Well, sometimes people will try to bring a receipt in twice and then go into the store and find an item on the shelf and return it for store credit." Really, lady? Did you not just watch us walk in here and come STRAIGHT to your counter?

The manager returns with my HOT license and exclaims, "Well, since the new policy isn't in effect yet, we will give you store credit this ONE time." Gee, thanks. She then went over the new policy again with me because since I am pregnant, I probably had already forgotten it since she read it to me 10 minutes earlier, OH and we can't read.

I found out the next day from my sister-in-law that my mother-in-law had indeed purchased everything at one location, then returned it all for a price adjustment somewhere else since she found a coupon. She had just given me the wrong receipt. I actually considered writing a letter to BRU's corporate office to tell them about the lovely employees at the location I was at, but I am too tired. Maybe they will read this. HA!

I guess it's not as bad as Target's return policy and practices, but I have now become a receipt whore. I hoard them all in a folder at home and will probably shake like a leaf after 5 years when I go to shred them because OMG I might need to return that toilet paper that I used 2 years ago and what if I don't have the receipt, holy shit they will throw me in jail!